Shloka 1

सूर्यरथः, सप्तगणाः, मासाधिकारिणः

The Sun’s Chariot and the Sevenfold Monthly Governors

Devanagari script

अशीतिमण्डलशतं काष्ठयोर् अन्तरं द्वयोः आरोहणावरोहाभ्यां भानोर् अब्देन या गतिः

Transliteration

aśītimaṇḍalaśataṃ kāṣṭhayor antaraṃ dvayoḥ ārohaṇāvarohābhyāṃ bhānor abdena yā gatiḥ

Translation

Between two successive kāṣṭhās there is a measure of time spoken of as “a hundred circles of eighty”; and by the Sun’s ascending and descending course that yearly motion is known and reckoned.

Word by Word

• अशीतिमण्डलशतम्: a hundred groups of eighty (i.e., 8000)
• अशीतिमण्डलशतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशीतिः (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अशीत्या मण्डलानां शतम्)

• काष्ठयोः: of the two kāṣṭhās (time-units)
• काष्ठयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), द्विवचन

• अन्तरम्: interval, difference
• अन्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• द्वयोः: of two
• द्वयोः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (सङ्ख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• आरोहणावरोहाभ्याम्: by ascent and descent
• आरोहणावरोहाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आरोहण (प्रातिपदिक) + अवरोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• भानोः: of the Sun
• भानोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• अब्देन: by a year; in a year
• अब्देन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• या: which
• या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• गतिः: movement, course
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Solar motion and the reckoning of time-units (kāṣṭhā, year) within cosmic order

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time is knowable and measured through the regulated movement of Sūrya, reflecting an intelligible cosmic order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate regularity in daily practice (japa, sandhyā) by aligning routines with natural cycles of day and year.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order is a purposeful governance, implying a supreme Lord whose will structures time and motion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Surya (the Sun)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Sun’s ascent and descent in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats the Sun’s rising/ascending and setting/descending course as a primary observable basis for measuring and verifying the year and its time-divisions.

How does Sage Parāśara explain time measurement here?

He links small units (like kāṣṭhā) to larger cyclic reckonings and then anchors the yearly measure in the Sun’s perceptible motion, showing how cosmic cycles govern human calendrical time.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when discussing astronomy, the Vishnu Purana frames cosmic regularity as part of the ordered universe sustained by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—whose governance underlies the dependable rhythm of time.